Wire cloth

ABSTRACT

Wire cloth comprising a woven structure ( 2 ) defined by: 
     a weave ( 3 ) comprising a plurality of first thread-like elements ( 3   a ) made of metallic material; and a warp ( 4 ) woven with said weave and comprising a plurality of second thread-like elements ( 4   a ) made at least partially of metallic material; said structure ( 2 ) further comprising at least one lateral area ( 5 ) parallel to said warp ( 4 ) and having deformation means ( 6 ) for occluding channels ( 7 ) defined between the first thread-like elements ( 3   a ) at said lateral zone ( 5 ).

The present invention relates to a wire cloth.

In particular, the present invention refers to a cloth or, more generally, to a “textile” type structure made of metallic thread-like elements suitably combined according to weave and warp.

As known, the wire cloths find many applications, as in particular in the machinery for processing polymeric materials, in which the woven structure constitutes a filtering member of the aforementioned materials.

In this situation, the wire cloths are hit by the plastic material flow which is processed by the machinery, and must therefore undergo considerable efforts, temperatures and pressures, or in any case they must face highly peculiar working conditions due to the nature and/or state of aggregation (granular, dusty, fluid or multi-phase) of the polymeric material itself.

The dimensions of the weave and warp threads, as well as the woven structure, is therefore determined according to the various needs of use and according to the material and working conditions to which the cloth is subjected.

Wire cloths of the known type are however generally characterized by some considerable drawbacks, and mainly suffer from a limited operating life, a high tendency to geometric and mechanical degradation, an inconstancy over time of the filtering power and the need for frequent replacement and maintenance interventions.

A particular drawback of the wire cloths is given by the presence of passages and spacings defined between the filaments and in particular between the weave threads.

These spacings creates fluid passage channels that allow the material to flow out transversely from the flow direction of the material into fluid form.

It should be noted, in fact, that the warp threads, much finer than the weave threads, tend to compact under mechanical deformation, making the seal more stable when the fluid passes through. On the contrary, the weave threads are thicker than the warp threads and are more spaced, so as to define the aforementioned flow passage channels. In this context, also upon the pressure determined laterally to the cloth and by means of suitable retaining members of the cloth itself, the channels remain open in any case and, at high pressure conditions, allow the fluid to flow out transversely from the cloth.

This results in an important drawback in terms of efficiency in filtering operations as well as safety in surfaces that must be sealed to prevent the work material from flowing out.

Also known are wire cloths with lateral reinforcement bands or with folded edges. However, these technical solutions allow to mechanically reinforce the mesh structure, without however tamponing the outflow of the material flow along the channels defined by the weave threads.

In the light of the state of the art presented above, the object of the present invention is to provide a wire cloth which is capable of solving the shortcomings just presented.

In particular, the present invention aims to devise a wire cloth which can simultaneously have satisfactory resistance and mechanical-geometric consistency values, and capable of preventing any lateral outflows of the fluid material.

In greater detail, the present invention has as its object devising a wire cloth which is able to occlude any passage channels defined between the wire filaments and in particular the weave threads.

Moreover, the present invention intends to provide a wire cloth which, as described above, is capable of occluding the mentioned channels defined between the weave threads only in the lateral zones of the cloth and thus allowing the presence of a work area provided with a high filtering capacity.

These and other objects are realized by a wire cloth, according to the present invention, having the features illustrated in the annexed claims and hereinafter illustrated in an exemplary embodiment thereof (but not limiting) as well as in the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wire cloth according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a wire cloth according to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional and along the line III-III view of the cloth of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional and along the line IV-IV of the cloth of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4a shows an enlargement of a detail of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4.

With reference to the attached figures, reference number 1 globally indicates a wire cloth according with the present invention.

In particular, the cloth 1 comprising a woven structure 2 defined by a weave 3 and a warp 4 woven with the weave 3.

In greater detail, the weave 3 has a plurality of first thread-like elements 3 a made preferably of a metallic material.

Likewise, the warp also comprises a plurality of second thread-like elements 4 a made at least partially of metallic material, and woven with the first elements 3 a according to a predefined woven geometric pattern.

The first thread-like elements 3 a preferably have a greater thickness than the second thread-like elements 4 a. By virtue of this difference, the first elements 3 a are more spaced and define between each other respective channels 7 (FIG. 3) parallel to the development of the weave 3.

The woven structure 2 thus defined preferably has a substantially rectangular peripheral development plain configuration, where two opposite longitudinal edges 2 a are defined.

The structure 2 advantageously comprises at least a lateral zone 5 parallel to the warp 4 and approached to a respective edge 2 a, the zone 5 developing as a strip along the whole longitudinal development of the cloth 1.

The lateral zone 5 having respective deformation means 6 for occluding the channels 7 at the zone 5 itself.

Preferably, the structure 2 has two lateral zones 5 opposite to each other parallel and close to the respective longitudinal end edges 2 a. In this situation, each lateral zone 5 is provided with respective deformation means 6.

With reference to the first embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 3, the deformation means 6 comprise second additional thread-like elements 6 a, made of a material resistant to high temperatures and deformable when subjected to crushing. In other words, the second additional elements 6 a are parallel to the second elements 4 a and together constitute the whole warp 4 of the structure 2. Also the second additional elements 6 a result to be woven to the first thread-like elements 3 a.

The second additional elements 6 a preferably have a greater cross-sectional thickness then the second thread-like elements 4 a. In this way, upon a pressure on the lateral zones 5 resulting from the action of suitable retaining members of the cloth 1 (not illustrated because they are not part of the present invention), the second additional thread-like elements 6 a are deformed and, by virtue of the relative material and the increased thickness, they occlude the channels 7.

According to a preferential embodiment, the second additional thread-like elements 6 a are preferably made of aramid and/or copper fibres.

It should however be specified that the material selected for the aforementioned second additional elements 6 a may be anyone provided that it respects the characteristics of mechanical resistance, resistance to high temperatures and deformability.

According to a second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 4 a, the deformation means 6 comprise a band 8 made of a material resistant to high temperatures and deformable if subjected to crushing.

In particular, the band 8 develops throughout the respective lateral zone 5 and consists of a resin inside which the second thread-like elements 4 a are embedded, arranged at each zone 5.

In this case, all the second thread-like elements 4 a are made of metallic material and remain anchored within the band 8. Moreover, a portion of the first thread-like elements 3 a which pass through the aforementioned zone 5 remains embedded inside the resin band, too.

Preferably, the resin is composed of a silicone and/or epoxy material, such as for example two-component materials. Also in this case, the material chosen for making the band 8 can be anyone provided that it maintains suitable characteristics of deformability, mechanical resistance and resistance to high temperatures.

Advantageously, the band fills the spacings between the thread-like elements, thereby occluding the channels 7 at the aforementioned zones 5. The eventual passage of fluid through the channels 7 and towards the edges 2 a of the structure 2 is therefore interrupted.

Each band 8 also defines respective opposite surfaces 8 a and arranged outside the first and second thread-like elements 3 a, 4 a. Such surfaces 8 a define a support for the action of suitable retaining members of the cloth 1 (not illustrated because they are not part of the present invention).

Finally, it should be noted that each lateral zone 5 is spaced from the longitudinal edge 2 a of the structure 2 by a series of second thread-like elements 4 a and an end portion of the first thread-like elements 3 a. In this situation, also the deformation means 6, contained in the respective zones 5, are spaced from the edges 2 a to occlude the passage of fluid through the channels before the edge 2 a itself, that is to say in a more central zone of the structure 2.

The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and provides significant advantages.

First of all, it should be noted that both embodiments determine the occlusion of the aforementioned channels 7 near the lateral zones 5. This results in the interruption of the fluid passage with the advantages derived from an optimal fluid sealing of the cloth 1.

It should also be considered that the first embodiment allows not to modify the structure of the cloth 1 by using second additional elements 6 a which are inserted within the warp 4 according to the normal weaving methodologies. The second additional elements 6 a, which are able to deform and have a greater thickness, occlude the channels 7 in the retaining condition of the cloth 1.

As regards the second embodiment, the channels 7 are directly occluded by means of the aforementioned band 8. In this case each band further determines a surface 8 a for the support and the pressure of the retaining members of the cloth 1.

Also in this case, obtaining the bands 8 necessary for the sealing of lateral fluid is carried out simply by means of a resin which embeds the thread-like elements 3 a, 4 a at the lateral zones 5. This results in a particularly simple actuation of the deformation means 6 with the relative advantages in terms of operations for the creation of the entire cloth 1. 

1. Wire cloth comprising a woven structure (2) defined by: a weave (3) comprising a plurality of first thread-like elements (3 a) made of metallic material; and a warp (4) woven with said weave and comprising a plurality of second thread-like elements (4 a) made at least partially of metallic material; wherein said structure (2) further comprises at least one lateral area (5) parallel to said warp (4) and having deformation means (6) for occluding channels (7) defined between the first thread-like elements (3 a) at said lateral zone (5).
 2. Cloth according to claim 1, wherein said structure (2) comprises two lateral zones (5) opposite to each other, parallel to and near the end edges (2 a) of the structure (2) itself; each lateral zone (5) having respective deformation means (6).
 3. Cloth according to claim 1, wherein said deformation means (6) comprise second additional thread-like elements (6 a), made of a material resistant to high temperatures and deformable if subjected to crushing to occlude said channels (7).
 4. Cloth according to claim 3, wherein said second additional thread-like elements (6 a) have a greater cross-sectional thickness with respect to the second thread-like elements (4 a).
 5. Cloth according to claim 3, wherein said second additional thread-like elements (6 a) are parallel to said second thread-like elements (4 a) and woven with the first thread-like elements (3 a).
 6. Cloth according to claim 3, wherein said second additional thread-like elements (6 a) comprise aramid and/or copper fibres.
 7. Cloth according to claim 1, wherein said deformation means (6) comprise a second band (8), made of a material resistant to high temperatures and deformable if subjected to crushing to occlude said channels.
 8. Cloth according to claim 7, characterized in that said second thread-like elements (4 a) arranged at each lateral zone (5) are embedded in said band (8).
 9. Cloth according to claim 7, wherein said band (8) comprises a silicone and/or epoxy resin.
 10. Cloth according to claim 7, wherein said band (8) defines respective opposite surfaces (8 a) and arranged outside the first and second thread-like elements (3 a, 4 a).
 11. Cloth according to claim 1, wherein each lateral zone (5) is spaced from the longitudinal edge (2 a) of the woven structure (2) by a series of second thread-like elements (4 a). 